Reuse of old mills in Chicopee, Easthampton examined by state, local officials

File photo by John Suchocki / The Republican This is one of the former Facemate buildings which has been razed to make way for a new Senior Center.

With construction workers ready to tear down the tower of a former Facemate building in Chicopee, state and local officials celebrated the start of a new era of the former industrial property off the Chicopee River.

Massachusetts Economic Development Director Gregory Bialecki, State Rep. Joseph F. Wagner, Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette gathered with senior citizens and others to watch the beginning of the demolition of the former Facemate factory complex. Once completed, a new senior center will be built in its place on the West Main Street site.

“Behind us are the remenants of an earlier era of manufacturing,” Bissonnette told the crowd. “Once these buildings are gone a bright new building will be in its place.”

The property has a long history. The Chicopee Manufacturing Company, built around 1830, is believed to have been the third major water-powered industrial site in the state, Stephen R. Jendrysik, a retired history teacher and the city’s historian, said.

The property was always used for textiles. The first developer, Johnathan Dwight, sold it to Johnson & Johnson in 1915, which made bandages during the war and later switched to making cloth diapers. The Facemate corporation purchased it in the 1970s and made collar stays until it closed a decade ago.

A demolition firm has removed asbestos from the five Facemate buildings. Even before the gathering Thursday, some demolition had begun.

Wagner and Bialecki talked about how the project to clean and reuse the land became a joint effort between the city, and federal and state organizations. The cleanup is being funded with state and federal grants.

The demolition work is expected to total about $2 million while the construction of the senior center is estimated at $6 to $8 million and will be funded with city money, federal grants and the Friends of the Senior Center pledged to raise $2 million. A contractor should be hired sometime this summer to build the center.

Photo by Diane Lederman / The RepublicanMassachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Gregory Bialecki, left, listens as Micheal Michon explains his vision for the rear of the mill buildings on Pleasant Street in Easthampton. At right is state Rep. Joseph F. Wagner, D-Chicopee. Bialecki and Wagner and others toured projects in Chicopee, Holyoke and here on Thursday. Michon owns the 180 Pleasant St. building.

Bialecki said he has been working with Wagner, chairman of the House Committee on Economic Development and others to find the best way to help older cities to find uses for old mill buildings.

He said the committees are selecting the most promising projects and focusing on them one at a time.

“It is a good model on how we are going to do this in the future,” he said about the Chicopee project.

Thursday Bialecki also made stops in Holyoke and Easthampton to view potential projects there.

In Easthampton, Bialecki met with with several mill building owners to find out more about their plans to place entrances to their buildings along the Manhan Rail Trail. The new entrances would also feature more parking, landscaping and lighting.

The buildings are in various stages of development and are being used for housing, retail, restaurants, arts spaces and other businesses.

Michael Michon, owner of Mill 180 on Pleasant St., Will Bundy, owner of Eastworks Mill and James Witmer, owner of the Brickyard, said they want to connect their their buildings.

After meeting, Michon took Bialecki, Wagner and Easthampton Mayor Michael A. Tautznik on a tour of the trail and explained how they want to clean up the area.

“If we’re going to make a public investment, (we want to know) is there going to be a private investment?” Bialecki said. “These are not a couple of dreamers.”